Rage against the numbers

Recently my friends were briefly discussing ways to protest against terrorism. Which is a bit of a dangerous thing, since when protesting against terrorism, you have to make generalisation which are not always true. So bear with me.
Now we need to make sure that the Arab and Islamic (both can be mutually exclusive) that terrorism is wrong and they shouldn't support it. Now to protest against the Arabs, we initially wanted to boycott their oil, but since they like produce 90% of the world's oil and we all need oil to function that idea was scrapped. But we've come up with a better idea. One that is totally harmless, yet gets the point across strong. Boycott Arabic numbers.
Think about it. If we boycott their number system and like use a different system, like the Roman system, then it's a totally non-violent way to get our message across. Then the Arabs will be pissed since no one is using their numbers. Eventually, they'll crack under pressure and revert to moderate Islam. Problem solved!
Shit, I should really get this idea to the George W. Bush. His adminstration have no idea on how to get out of Iraq and fight terrorism. This should get them a head start. At least it's a much better idea that those fuckers will ever think of.

Twisted Flow

A week without a post. What happened? I hear the (imaginary) roar of readers. Just lots of homework from school. The teachers ain't kidding when they said this year would be tougher than others. I'm keeping up well with work and if there was a time where I had a lack of homework, I would post more. Anyway....
In keeping up with my "policy" of not specifically naming people in this blog, I am going to use nicknames. The setting, Physics. The plot, pure speculation and almost no logic. I'm in F4, and sitting at the 2nd row of seats. Not a bad place. However, two people are sitting in the 4th row and they're fustrated. They are good students and they must sit near the front. Sitting in the 4th row gives others the impression that they are slackers and they can't see the board very well. They want to move up. Specifically, they want MY row. But they don't want to share...no, no, no...they want a HOSTILE takeover. To the point where they want to rush into the class first and steal our seats. Now there is no way I'm letting Fishy and L.Phill take my row. It's a matter of principle. I got here first dammit. And I want to see the board clearly.
Eventually, they managed to get into a sharing arrangement with Big K and Da Who but at the cost of abandoning their friends. This is what amazes me. They have the ability to ruthlessly dispose of close friends in order to move up 1 place in the class. Not a word or even a look. Their friend is left sitting there like roadkill on a road. Still, I'm not going to let them invade my table.

Now onto Friday night. I went to the Entrance, Gosford for some prawning. We waited until around 9pm when the river started to flow out (or in, I don't remember) and we waded out there into the middle of the river. Soon, my dad, my brother and I position ourselves near deep water and start scooping up the prawns in out nets. The prawns were really good. They were at least 10cm long and 2 cm wide. We even managed to corner a couple of crabs, but they were kinda small. We ended up with a few kilos of prawns before stopping at around 11pm.
This trip was kinda cool, because I got to drive all the way from home to Wyong Rd. Did the freeway and everything in the Landcruiser Prado. It was kinda crap in a way because I'm still on my L's and limited to 80 and the limit of teh freeway was like 110. But it was still cool.
We got home at like 2pm in the morning and I'm still feeling a bit groggy, even now. I'll prolly go to sleep a bit earlier tonight...and stuff the homework. I've a free period tomorrow.

Paper Terror

Some people have been asking about my avatar, asking why I'm trying the terrorist look, especially in this climate about global terrorism, Bali and the works. It was taken a few years ago after September 11 and just before the first Bali bombings. Sure, the U.S. had been bombed, but nothing had happened to Australia. It seemed the bombings had been half a world away. Anyway, I was cooking up some dinner with my brother and cousin. Old-style sausages and steak, with a few kebabs. Roaring fire and plenty of oil over a grill. We soon encountered a problem. The fire was so hot, that we could only dart in for a few seconds before our face would start burning and air would be sucked out of our lungs to fuel the raging inferno.

Now we could have easily waited a bit for the fire to calm down, but that's the easy way. And we wanted dinner now. We weren't the only ones. Most of our family and friends were indulging in late night fishing (I say late but it was like 7pm) and they would want dinner when they got back. So we upped the fire and wrapped paper towels around our face to prevent it from burning up. The rest was history. Also it was the only photo that I had my face covered. I didn't want everyone on the net looking at my face. My friends will probably identify me, no sweat though.

Bromine Water

Not much happening at school, with the exception that the cricket nets will be back in action tomorrow. Finally, we can play cricket, without some teachers throwing a fit about playing the quadrangle. It's so inconsistent. Most teachers don't give a damn about us playing there, even though technically it's against the rules. They probably know that the crickets are undergoing reconstruction and that we're playing temporarily here. Of course, a few teachers step in to stop the match. *sigh*

Finally on to the meat of the title. It's in Chemistry and we're learning how to tell alkanes from alkenes by mixing it with bromine water. Now my Chem teacher gives out a sheet that says you drop the hydrocarbon in to the orange-brown bromine water, and if it is an alkene, the bromine water will decolourise to clear very rapidly. Almost instantly, in fact. So we're doing the experiment and when we pour out the bromine water, it's fricken clear. That ruins the whole point of the experiment. When my group notifies the teacher, she says the colour is very light and it decolourises quickly. WTF? It's clear, totally clear. How can it even decolourise? Furthurmore, bromine water is supposed to be orange-brown not clear. There's a major difference. Instead the teacher keeps telling us that the clear stuff is bromine water and we're like "No it's not!". In the end, we bugged her to get a new sample of bromine water and repeat the experiment, next lesson or whatever. *phew*

To be honest, I'm buying a whole bunch of Chem books. It's to help increase my chances of making it through this year.

Mathematical proof

Don't you love it when someone proves something mathematically. There's a massive argument on, then suddenly someone yells "I've proved it...mathematically!" and everyone will be like Aww shit! That is until some idiot finds out you forgot to carry the 1. Anyway this is something old I found scribbled in one of my books. It is mathematical proof that girls are evil.

Girls = Time x Money

but since Time is Money

Girls = Money x Money = Money²

Now since Money is the root of all evil

Money = √ Evil

And hence combining both equations we get

Girls = (√Evil)² = Evil

Thus Girls = Evil. #

What a fuck up!

My trip to Mount Wilson in Bell, out in the Blue Mountains, was a complete disaster. It was pissing down rain, with the weather trying to do it's best "Hurricane Katrina" impression. And if you think that was bad, it gets worse. The cherry blossoms had just, only just, finished blossoming. So we travelled around a 120 kilometers or so to look at cherry blossoms without all the nice pink flowers. Instead, we got some maple trees to cheer us up. Fuck.

But it wasn't all that bad, I mean it could have been worse. There were a few cherry blossoms still around and we got a chance to talk to old friends. And that iCN 635 worked like a charm. It accurately plotted out a course there and back. It has totally superseded the old "bread-crumb-trail" GPS systems. Those old systems left a trail where you went and had no road directions, just a black line on a monochrome LCD screen. I can't really think how we could survive without this. It totally takes the strain of me having to plot a course on a map. Of course, it's kinda useless if you don't travel into the deep unknown, but if you do reguarly, get one of these babies.

Now to the interesting part, photos! With captions for your viewing pleasure and hearing-impaired:

At Mount Wilson, and the weather is crappy. Rain and fog galore.

The lone cherry blossom tree at Mount Wilson.

Found another one on the way out. It was tucked in a small street.

This is at Sutton Park, a small rest area. The cherry blossoms are still in bloom there.

A shot of the adjoining cherry blossom. Just so you know, our car is the one on the far right.

Snapped another quick one before we left. It's actually raining pretty bad. I had to take cover in a small gazebo to take these shots.

One down...

First week of year 12 is over, baby! It was tough (for me, maybe not for other) but I kept to my game plan and I think good things will happen. I even did maths work for a few hours today! So taking this time seriously, I'm sure I'll get serious results.

Now for some cool stuff. My dad bought this navigation system, the Navman iCN 635 and it rocks! My dad tried it out today when he drove my brother to tutoring and it works like a charm. It uses GPS to plot your position and generate a path for you to follow. First you set the area, then the street, then the house number and it generate the shortest or quickest path to your destination. And it has voice prompts to ensure you make the right turns at the right time. Then I jumped in the driver's seat and started driving around testing it out and get some practice at the same time. My dad set it to go a boat ramp in Port Hacking and I drove all the way there. The really cool thing is that if you make a wrong turn or go a different way, it can re-generate a new path, so you don't have to stick its preestablished route. Tomorrow, we're going to test it by going to Bell (I think that's the place), out in the Blue Mountains, to see cherry blossoms in bloom. I'll post a few shots when I get back.

And this I had to post. Inventor Gregg Miller has dedicated his blood, sweat and tears, as well as countless hours designing, building and tinkering to create new balls for dogs. Not just any old balls for fetching though. They are prosthetic testicles for castrated dogs. Made from silicon, these balls are realistic recreations and comes in different sizes, shapes, weights and degrees of firmness. He even got a Nobel Prize for it. Go figure.

Rah! Errors!

So I started my second day of year 12 feeling quite well. I'd finished my homework, checked my previous notes (bah! not much notes) and I felt that I was getting better at being serious with my work. Anyway, I'm doing 3-unit maths, or as it's technically called Mathematics Extension 1, simply because I feel I'll handle it better than 4-unit maths (or Mathematics Extension 2). So you had a bunch of people doing 4-unit maths and...well..kind of showing off that they did 4 unit maths. A typical convo with someone doing 4 unit maths will have this bit somewhere:

4 unit maths person: So what unit maths do you do?
Me: 3 units, I just kept it. You?
4 unit maths person: Oh...well...I do 4 unit maths.

There always has to be this ever so slight enunciation of the "I" in "I do 4 unit maths". This is due to the perception that 4 unit maths is bloody hard and anybody that even attempts to try should be held in high esteem. Of course, this is usually among Asians at our school, as everybody else will be like "what freaks!" and stick to their lower maths, whether it be general, 2 unit or 3 unit. But I rest assured that some people will be dropping it, once they find out that's waaaayyy above their level. Those that stay probably have tutors, to help and guide them. To be honest, there is a slight elitism in the 4 units maths classes. Those slight changes that are there, the head held a fraction higher, the subtle but proud stride. While I hope that the slight elitism doesn't become more pronouced, my 3 unit class had a "clash" with the 4 unit class.

So I walk into class C4 with a few other classmates and our new maths teacher Ms Sharp. Well she's new to our class, not to the school. When Ray walks into our room, freezes and says something like "isn't this 4 units?" and we're like "nah man, it's three". Outside the two classes are frozen because they don't know if its the right room or not. Of course, it was OUR (3 unit) room from since the beginning of the year. Anyway, the 4 unit class shoved off. But that's not the point.

The point (see it has its own paragraph) is that the school screwed up again. Now mistakes will be made, but this could of easily been fixed. Two different classes in the same room at the same time? The organistion level in the school is bad, but its these incidents that take "bad" to new depths. My dad complained once when the school reported I had been late 3 times in the week, when I really wasn't and they said "it's over 1000 students!". Well, some places have over 10000 people employed or some company watches the superfunds of over 60 million people and I've never seen anyone get free money or whatever cos of a mistake. Actually this was only minor. There was another incident where my room was taken over for exams and we were sent to of G6 which had been demolished. The general reaction was like "OMFG! WTF!"

For fuck's sake. Could it get any worse?

First day

First day back to school and it rocked! Mainly because I got my Chem prac, Biology and Bio prac back and I did pretty well. In fact, I'm almost "there". And where is "there" I hear you ask? The mystical 90%+ area, which is where I'm aiming to raise my marks. I mainly got 80%-85% which is close. Next is 90%+ and then hopefully I'll manage to reach the god-like 95%, at least for one subject.

The weirdist part was the study period. I'm only doing 11 units and that gives me 3 study periods every two weeks. I finished off my maths homework and I was stuck with nothing else to do! So I started to scribble some ideas for stories and chatted quietly with some friends. I might bring my GBA SP and play FF Tactics Advance while I'm there. I know a guy who has 6 of those study periods in the two-week cycle. Fuck, he can do all his homework there and just study at home. That would be so cool.

A newer direction...

Seeing that tomorrow is the beginning to year 12 for me and a whole bunch of other people, I've decided to post some of the funny and not-so-funny things that happen as I progress through the last year at my high school. Of course, my thoughts, occasional rants, and bad stories will appear from time to time. The Rushing Storms will reappear depending on homework and procrastination levels. And I have few ideas here and there for more short stories.

To be honest, I was inspired by another blog that details a Jewish guy's experiences through medical school. Check out Ah Yes, Medical School for this guy's hilarious experiences of an American medical school and laugh at his attempts to half-ass his way through it. I don't think I can be as funny as this guy, but what the hell.

Down, down the toilet we go...

• My life is spiralling downwards...and it'll keep going down..unless something happens

Looking back on this statement, I'm a bit wrong. My life isn't really spiralling downwards, my future is. Everyone's life goes through its rough patches and I'm sure my life isn't different to anyone else's that much. But the way I'm going now, I don't see much of a good, desirable future for me. I was at a wedding reception party and as I watched the fun and celebrations whirl around me, I kept thinking about the future, my future. The majority of people here were very successful or on its verge. So I began thinking of my future, all the bad scenarios and all the good scenarios. I began going off at tangents, wondering about different roads I could take. The road of being a doctor, pharmicist or lawyer had no real appeal to me. I couldn't summon any enthusiasm about it. Sure making money is always a good thing, but when you hate your job to the core...it doesn't really work.

So I jumped on the careers bandwagon that I heard about before; all that examining yourself and trying to find skills that you could use in your post-education life. And I took a long, hard look about what I wanted to do. To this end, I've been considering a career in research, something where I can sit done and do some quiet research. Maybe it's not the most fabulous dream or goal, but it's realistic and it's what I want.

I CAN DO IT...! Maybe later...

• I have massive amounts of willpower, but I don't use it

If there is something that I really want to do, usually because I enjoy doing it, I will devote all my time and effort towards, bordering on obssession and insanity. Problem is these "moments" are rare and most of the time I just don't give a shit about whatever I'm doing to put some decent effort in. That's usually why my prac reports are done the night before and usually in class. And don't even mention my maths homework. I'm lucky Mrs Chew checks it in lump sum, otherwise it wouldn't be done daily. *sigh*

It's getting better though. I've been putting more effort in when it comes to homework. Like for maths, I actually put in a solid 45 minutes work and finished it all. Of course, when I tried to start on my biology, I just couldn't bring myself to doing it. I sat at my desk, stared at it for 5 minutes, then it was like "fuck it, I'm watching CSI...". I ended up doing it at 6am the next morning. Which leads me to waking up early. There are some times, which are completely unavoidable, that you have to wake up early to do something. And during the last few bits of the year, I just couldn't get myself up. Plus the winter cold conspired against me and I spent most of the time, lying in bed because it was warmer. Now you might ask, why not pump the heater on? I could, but I'd wake up feeling thirsty as hell and I would feel dry. The sort of dryness, when you're in the sun for a bit too long. Yeah. So I stay in bed. Since summer is coming around, it's now gonna be easy to get out. But what about next winter dammit!

When year 12 comes around, I'm going to test my willpower and put effort into every bit of work, especially for the first week. Then? I'll adjust to better suit my timetable and hone my willpower. That's for sure. Really.

I'm killing myself...

• I'm self-destructive

Now I don't mean this like in a drug or alcohol way. That's not how I'm killing myself. I'm killing myself, but not giving a shit about school and my future. I kind of drift through school, getting pulled this way, pushed that way. I couldn't care less about homework and although I really want to get great marks for exams, I end up with average marks. I want to study two weeks before the exams to really know my stuff, but I end up cramming at the last minute. And to be honest, I don't see much of a future for me if I keep doing this. Everyone dreams of a nice job with lots of cash flowing in. It's one of those things everyone dreams about. And while most people don't achieve that dream, they do end up with a comfortable income. I can see myself slaving away at some manufacturing job. At this rate of self-destruction, that's how I'm going to end up. And I don't want to end up that way.

So why an I self-destructive. Why do I shoot myself in the proverbial arse? I spent a lot of time mulling over this and I can to the conclusion that it's my way of rebelling against my parents. Some teens go gothic, get drunk, try drugs, get pregnant (or make a girl get pregnant), but I fuck myself up, metaphorically of course. I'm not the outwardly rebelly type of person. On the surface, I'm a "good kid". But all that teen angst and hatred have to manifest themselves somewhere and in some way, however small. So unconsciously, I drift away when it comes to schoolwork and the future. I don't give a fuck about it. And in doing so, I screw myself up and my future is looking bleak. Fucking hell...

Of course the main reason for doing all this is to make me a better person. I don't want to end up in a shitty low-paying job. No one does. I have the chance to have a better life and I'm throwing it away. *sigh* The changes won't be easy, but I have to do something in order for me to avoid a shitty future. More next time.

The Glory of Self-destruction...it's the aftermath that sucks...

I've been pondering about myself lately. Really giving a good thought workout. I might even becoming *shock* narcissistic! But I think there is a period of life that everyone goes through where they exam themselves. Ah no..not a mid-life crisis. That's like examining your life and going shit it sucks and then trying "new" and "exciting" things to spice it up. But then it is a sort of life crisis. But after a few days of on-and-off examination, I have come to the following conclusions:

• I'm self-destructive
• I have massive reserves of willpower, but don't use it
• My life is spiralling downwards...and it'll keep going down..unless something happens

Thus I have decided to furthur examine these points and I'll post my deeper thoughts tomorrow. I have also decided to draft a will in case of failure.

Fahrenheit or Celcius...maybe Kelvin?

I've been playing Fahrenheit since yesterday, completely ignoring Sudeki. *sigh* I guess I'll finish Sudeki another day, before the holidays. My verdict of Fahrenheit? Good, but could be better.

The freedom of choice in Fahrenheit (also known as Indigo Prophecy) is quite good and very interactive. However, the director/creator David Cage must be a DDR junkie. During action sequences, you get two circles, each with a north-west-south-east indicator. When the indicator flashes, you press the corresponding button to proceed through the action sequence. To be honest, it's damn lame and distracting. You end up paying attention to the circles rather than to the action. There are also left-right moments, where you hammer the left and right key alternatingly in order to do something. It quickly ends up as hammering the keys as fast as possible. And that sucks.

Using the mouse to do different actions with objects was cool, although climbing is a bitch. It's very unforgiving with a strict time limit. I'm on a part where you have to climb a drain pipe and I lost enough "mental health" to lose the game. But the interactivity is quite good. There is also a sex scene between the protagonist, Lucas, and his ex-girlfriend, Tiffany. Say the right things and complete the DDR sequence correctly and you end up shagging her. The screen is slightly blurred so you can't see all the details but you don't need to. You just keep moving you mouse up within the time limits. What next?

There are rumors of a sequel of some sort that may utilise parts of the plot. If that's so they should name the sequel "Celcius" or "Kelvin". Temperature names are cool...in a way.

Freedom!!!

I was capped last month for broadband and the Net was so agonizingly slow, that I pretty much didn't do a thing. Of course, I had to find ways to break the boredom for the 3 days left of the month. I ended up whipping out my GBA and playing Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. According to the game clock, I've been playing for around 10 hours and its a fun diversion. I'll probably try and finish my other PC game Sudeki tomorrow. This is in preparation of Farenheit Or Indigo Prophecy which I'm hopefully getting tomorrow. Except my brother wants NBA LIVE 2006. Ah to hell with him! I'm getting Farenheit.

As for the cricket match, two matches were played. The first match we won 10 out for 68 and the year 12's could only managed a 60. The second match was fun and runs weren't counted because most of the year 11 fielders left. In the match, I took two wickets [caught out by a fielder] and caught out a batsman. Not bad at all, I have to say.

BTW: Cricket's Super Series is on next week, with the World XI taking on Australia. Can't wait.